Turning Tricks
by Icy Amour
Summary: Warning! Yaoi & strong content! Don't like, don't read. Prostitute!Alfred & Teacher!Arthur. After being severely beaten Alfred finds himself in the care of Arthur, a high school teacher. He can't comprehend why the Brit cares about a teen prostitute & strives to prove he is like every other man he's had to deal with. Can Arthur heal Al's shattered view of the world and his heart?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I LIVE! I know you guys probably thought I had died and dropped of the face of the Earth. Nope! Real life just got super busyawesomesucktastic. I won't bore you with the details.**

**Anyhow, I'm back with Teenprostitute!Alfred and Teacher!Arthur. There are going to be some strong themes and sensitive subject matter so consider this your warning. If that has you feeling apprehensive then please choose to read something else.**

**I own nothing but the plot bunny. Enjoy!**

Rain fell from the sky in tidal waves drenching everyone and everything that dared to venture out into the twilight of a cool autumn day. Arthur Kirkland fruitlessly held his umbrella over his sandy blonde head in a vain attempt to remain dry as he weaved his way home through the city. Jewel like peridot eyes were barely able to see the sidewalk before him through the onslaught.

"Bloody torrential rain. This is worse than London," the Englishman grumbled as he hastily made his way home to his nice dry townhouse. He had just finished at his second job teaching GED students and wanted nothing more than to get home. The allure of a good book and a warm cup of Earl Grey Creme tea were what he needed now to brighten his foul mood. The adults in his class were worse than the teenagers he taught at his day job.

"Poor Scones is probably half starved by now," the Brit mused aloud as he thought affectionately of his orange and cream Scottish Fold cat. He'd have to snuggle with the poor dear in his arm chair while wrapped in a quilt to make it up to the cat. The warm image this thought evoked had the slim man all but sprinting home.

Unfortunately, for the excited blonde he failed to notice or, more accurately, was unable to see the odd object sticking out of the alleyway ahead of him. His foot caught on the object and he tumbled face first into the sidewalk. His umbrella flew from his grip and his heavy Union Jack messenger bag flew up to crash into his back painfully. The front of his tan dress pants and kelly green polo shirt were soaked through as he pushed himself up from the pavement with a enraged Arthur rose quickly to his feet and winced as the rain made the scrapes on his hands burn.

He spun around on his heels fully intent on kicking whatever had been in his path and froze in abject horror. Sticking partway out of the alley was a human torso. The Brit had tripped over the body's right arm that was extended out onto the sidewalk as if the person had been crawling.

At this point the rain had began to let up so the viridian eyed man was able to see the terrible state the body was in. From what the Englishman could see he could tell it was a young man he had found. The poor man obviously had been severely beaten if the various cuts and bruises were any indication.

Without a moments hesitation Arthur rushed to the injured man's side and quickly knelt next to the prone form. Cautiously, he placed two fingers to the man's neck in search of a pulse and sighed in relief upon finding that glorious thrum of life.

Retracting his hand the sandy blonde reached for his messenger bag and flipped it open. He swiftly retrieved his smartphone and dialed 911. He pressed the device to his ear and gripped it tightly.

_Ring...Ring...Ring…_

"Nine One One, what's the nature of your emergency?" a chipper female voice chirped upon answering.

"Yes, I found the body of a young man," Arthur said swallowing nervously.

"What is the condition of the victim?" the dispatcher asked calmly with barely a pause.

"Well he has a pulse and is breathing. I don't know how long he's been here and he seems to have been severely beaten," the Brit responded. He was a bit bothered by how calmly this woman was speaking.

"Do you know the victim? Does he have any identification?"

"No, I just found him. He…" the blonde trailed off blushing as he looked the young man over and realized he was completely naked. "He has no ID on him,"

"Where is your location, sir?" the woman continued without missing a beat.

"I'm just outside an alley between Sky Street and Ocean Ave on Shipper Boulevard. There's a pub across from me called 'The Liberty Bell'," Arthur said as his green eyes darted around to see if there were any other landmarks that would help pinpoint their location.

"All right, sir. Emergency services have been dispatched to your location. Please stay with the victim until they arrive,"

"Yes, of course. Thank you, ma'am," the Englishman said with a relieved sigh as he heard sirens off in the distance.

"You're welcome, sir," the female dispatcher said and the call was disconnected. The slender man lowered his hand and slid the mobile back into his bag. As the sound of sirens drew closer the Brit could feel himself relax a little and his eyes fell upon the face of the beaten man.

Looking past the bruising and cuts Arthur could see that the man was very attractive and young. Probably in his late teens. His blonde hair was plastered to his forehead by rain and blood. The older blonde had to fight back the impulse to brush the man's bangs out of his eyes.

"Who are you lad? Who did this to you and why?" the Englishman queried as he gazed down at the man's angelic face. Anger rose in his chest at the monster that could do something so savage to another person. "Don't you worry. I'm here for you and promise I will stay until you're safe,"

The overwhelming smell of antiseptics was the first thing that Alfred's hazy mind registered as he drifted back to consciousness. The smell made his stomach roll and he feared he would be sick. The wheat blonde attempted to roll to his side to keep from choking on his stomach contents, but stopped when searing pain coursed through his system.

The young man groaned as the room spun around him and he returned to his previous position. One azure eye slowly slid open. He was mildly concerned that the other remained closed as he took in his surroundings. To his right he found a large window with the blinds thankfully drawn although that did make it hard for him to determine what time of day it was. A small table and a recliner stood near the window. Directly in front of him was a television with a white board beneath it. He couldn't read what was on the board as he realized his glasses were missing.

"Shit! I've lost my glasses and I'm in the hospital. Wonderful," Alfred muttered wincing at the ache in his jaw and he tore the thin hospital bedding off of him. His entire body protested as he shifted his legs off the edge of the bed and sat up slowly. When he tried to stand his head spun and he sank partially back on to the bed.

'Fuck! What hit me?' he thought groggily as sudden flashes of the previous evening danced behind his eyelids. 'Oh, yeah. Him,'

With a determined grunt the tan man pushed to his feet once again and took an unsteady step toward the bathroom. He came up short though when something tugged a bit painfully at his hand. Looking down he found an IV tube attached to the back of his hand and some weird thing clipped to his middle finger. He glared at the medical items as he undid the clip and carefully tugged the needle out of his skin. He quickly applied pressure to the small wound and staggered to the bathroom.

He flipped on the light and made his way to the sink. The image that greeted him in the mirror made him cringe. His left eye was bruised and swollen shut. The right side of his jaw was also bruised and other minor abrasions covered the rest of his face. What skin he could see that was not covered by the too small hospital gown was also mottled with scrapes and bruises.

"Damn it! The son of a bitch really did a number on me. You don't mess with my bread and butter, man," Alfred cursed as he turned away from the mirror with a heavy sigh. He quickly made sure his hand had stopped bleeding and relieved himself before stepping back into the hospital room. With steadier steps he walked over to the whiteboard having to press his face as close as possible to read it. Damn far-sightedness.

"Nurse blah blah blah. Patient name: John Doe. That's good. If they don't have any personal information they can't bill me or send a cop after me," Alfred spoke aloud as his mind began forming an escape plan. "Right, so I need to make like a tree and get the fuck outta here,"

With a pseudo-plan formed the wheat blonde walked over to the room door and opened it slowly. He poked his head out slightly and looked up and down the hall. The coast was clear. He slunk out of the room and cautiously made his way down the hall. Half-way down the hall he found a laundry cart with several clean sets of scrubs on its shelves.

"Score," the young man said as he fist pumped and quickly searched for something that would fit him. Without shame, the azure eyed man threw off his gown and pulled on the scrubs. He found a pair of socks as well to slide on his cold feet.

With a satisfied sigh Alfred continued his trek down the hall. He had nearly made it to the bank of elevators when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and he froze instantly.

"And just where, pray tell, do you think you are going?" an accented male voice asked from behind the cornered youth. The young blonde swallowed nervously. Damn! He was caught. How was he going to get out of this one?

Alfred turned slowly to face the man behind him with a half formed retort on his lips, but froze at the sight that he found. Fiery green eyes glared at him from beneath rather prominent brows and rose pink lips were turned downward in a frown. Messy, sandy blonde hair crowned the man's lovely features and made his alabaster skin glow. His slender frame was wrapped in a mint green dress shirt, brown slacks, and tan loafers.

'Sweet lady liberty he is freaking gorgeous!' the tan man thought as his jaw hung open dumbly. The stranger shifted slightly in discomfort at being so blatantly stared at, but his glare never faltered.

"Oi, it's rude to stare. Are you going to answer me or stand there impersonating a fish, git?" the veridian eyed man said in obvious irritation.

'Fuck and he's English! My freaking Kryptonite! Wait did he just insult me?' Alfred thought as his growing libido was quickly crushed in exchange for mild anger.

"What's it to you? You a doctor? Cop?" the cornflower blonde retorted defensively as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

"Neither. I'm the one who found you after you were ra...attacked," the sandy blonde faltered as his eyes shifted downward and he absently rubbed at his arm.

Alfred was stunned by that last statement. If he wasn't a cop or doctor what was he doing here? This man didn't know him and yet he was here to see him? There had to be more to it than that. People aren't that kind.

Obviously, this guy wanted something and he had pretty good idea what that something was.

The teen slowly unfolded his arms and took a step toward the stranger.

"So if you are the one who found me then that would make you my hero," the tan teen said his voice taking on a husky tone.

"I would not say hero," the emerald eyed man said nervously and shifted in discomfort as the younger man now stood far to close to him.

"Well I would and all heroes deserve a reward," the wheat blonde purred as his head slowly descended toward the smaller man and his eyes slid closed.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" the stranger stammered as he took a step back and raised his arms to ward off the taller man. The American blinked in confusion, but rebounded quickly. A sultry smile curling his lips upward.

"Giving you your reward. Isn't that what you want?" the blue eyed blonde said as he took a step forward.

"N-no, that's not it at all," the green eyed man replied continuing his retreat.

"Really? Then why are you here?" Alfred crooned as he advanced further.

"I was concerned," the Englishman countered taking yet another step back and feeling like a stalked animal. The teen froze and cocked his head to the side like a puppy.

"Concerned?"

"Yes," the smaller blonde responded giving the teen a curious look as their game of chase came to an end.

"About me?" the seductive tone of the younger man's voice was gone and replaced with an almost child like timber.

"No, some other bloke. Yes, you," the Brit responded sarcastically, but with little bite.

"Why?" Alfred said in a barely audible tone. His confident, sultry posture from earlier was gone and the teen began to be shrink into himself like a confused child.

"What?" the peridot eyed blonde responded in his continued vexation.

"Why are you concerned about me? I'm a stranger to you," cerulean eyes fell upon the gray floor of the hospital as the tan teen tried to process this situation.

"Well it's not everyday you find a young man laying in an alley. I just wanted to make sure you were okay," the stranger said his voice filled with concern and kindness. Alfred opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a flustered male voice from behind him.

"Oh, Mr. Kirkland you found our wayward patient. Thank you," a petite, pale blonde man quickly appeared at the wheat blonde's side and began checking him over. "You gave me quite a scare disappearing like that young man. What were you thinking removing your IV and leaving your room?"

"Don't touch me!" Alfred exclaimed and jerked away from the sudden, unwanted touch. He took several steps back and he wrapped his arms around himself protectively. The other two blonde's were surprised by the sudden fearful actions of the teen.

"I-I don't want t-to be here. I-I want to g-go home," the young man stammered out and his breathing became slightly erratic.

"I understand that you want to go home, dear, but you need to let the doctors clear you for release," the nurse said taking a tentative step toward the younger man.

"I feel fine. I don't need any doctors," the cornflower blonde said as his eyes held a trace of panic.

"The fear and panic you are feeling now is natural after a sexual assault. I'm sorry I touched you without permission. Will you please come back to your room?" the petite man asked offering a hand to the scared teen.

"No," Alfred took another step away from the other man. "No doctors. No cops. I just want to go home,"

"All right," the male nurse said with a defeated sigh and dropped his hand. "Let me get the discharge papers and we can let you leave against medical advisory,"

The cerulean eyed teen gave a curt nod in consent. The smaller blonde turned away to fetch the needed paperwork leaving the other two alone in awkward silence.

Several moments passed before the stranger cleared his throat to gain the teen's attention.

"If you would like I could give you a ride to your home," the sandy blonde offered casting his green eyes sideways nervously. Alfred eyed him warily for a moment before responding.

"Thanks, dude. I would appreciate that,"

**AN: All right, so there's chapter one. Hope I've grabbed your attention and will see you next chapter. Updates will hopefully be each weekend, but I make no promises. Until next time sugarcubes!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Holy hyperbole, Batman! You guys are SO FREAKING AWESOME! Here I thought no one was going to read this fic and what happens? My phone has not stopped buzzing from the amount of e-mails alerts I've gotten! So that totally made me feel like a tool for taking so long to post the next chapter. I have excuses but won't bore you. Enjoy! Favs, follows, and comments feed my soul. I own just the plot. **

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><p>"Take a right at the light and it will be the third house on the left," the teen instructed as Arthur brought his forest green Mini-Cooper to a stop at the aforementioned traffic light. After having left the hospital the pair had made their way from the hustle and bustle of the city to its suburbs. Tall imposing buildings had given way to quaint little neighborhoods.<p>

They had spent the entire trip drifting along in awkward silence and it was driving the Englishman insane. He really shouldn't care. As soon as he dropped this young man off at his home that would be the last he ever saw of him. Yet that fact bothered the blonde a lot more than he had any right too.

When the light changed he maneuvered his little car into a comfortable looking neighborhood and they soon were pulling into the drive of a modest split level home. In the dimming light of evening Arthur could see the home had a fresh coat of pale blue paint with white shutters also freshly painted. The lawn was well maintained and decorated with silly little animal lawn ornaments.

The entire appearance of the house brought forth the image of a house full of love. A good family lived here but Arthur couldn't help noticing his companion tense as they came to a stop in the drive. Why did the young man next to him seem so tense? Was the outward appearance of this home just a facade for inner horrors? Was this where he was assaulted?

The veridian eyed man just added those questions to the ever growing list he had regarding the mysterious man next to him and apprehension twisted his stomach.

"Well...Thanks for the lift dude," the ash blonde said as he cautiously unfastened his seat belt and opened the car door.

"It was nothing really," the Brit replied as he too released his belt and opened the car door.

"What are you doing?" the tan teen asked with wide, worried eyes as the pair exited the vehicle.

"I was going to walk you to the door. It's the gentlemanly thing to do," Arthur said casually as if it was the most natural response.

"I'm not a chick. I can get to the door on my own," the azure eyed man said indignantly and a pout graced his face.

"I'm sure you can, but I would feel better if I made sure you were okay once you have left my care," the sandy blonde said as he shut the car door and started to make his way toward the house.

"No, dude, wait," the blonde teen said with panic in his voice causing the Englishman to pause in his trek. He turned questioning eyes on the younger man.

"Yes?"

"Look, man, I really appreciate all your help, but we're good okay. Please stay with the car and let me go up to the house," the younger man warily rubbed at the back of his neck and his blue eyes were cast downward guiltily.

"This isn't your home, is it?" Arthur asked turning to face the teen and crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't appreciate being lied too.

"It sort of is. I've been staying with my friend Ivan. Just stay here and let me go talk to him,"

Before Arthur could protest the younger man was dashing up to the house. With a tired sigh the Brit leaned against the hood of his car and watched the younger man make his way to the homes front door.

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><p>Alfred knocked on the beige door of his friend's house and bounced on the balls of his feet anxiously. Man he really wanted a shower and to crawl into a bed so he could escape reality if only for a little while.<p>

Moments later the door opened and a young man who was slightly taller than the American teen with pale blonde hair filled the frame.

"Fredka! Where have you been? What has happened to you?" the larger teen asked as his large hands clasped his friend's shoulders and he anxiously examined his injured face. His violet eyes were a swirling tornado of emotion.

"Dude, Ivan relax. It's nothing. Just let me come inside and I'll explain," the blue eyed teen said shrugging off his friend's hands and moving to enter the house. He came up short when Ivan stepped into his path.

"That would...not be a good idea," the silvery blonde trailed off casting his eyes to the ground and shifting uncomfortably.

"Why? What's up, man?" Alfred asked looking questioningly at his friend with a small edge of worry to his voice.

"Katyusha doesn't want you living here anymore," Ivan said apologetically his purple eyes meeting his friend's blue ones briefly before lowering again.

"What?" the wheat haired blonde queried with a nervous laugh. "Kat loves me she wouldn't kick me out,"

"She is, Fredka," the larger man said sullenly and leaned his large build on the door frame. "Men came here the other night while Sadiq and I were out. They were looking for you,"

Alfred became stone still and stared blankly at his friend before a groan escaped his lips.

"Damn it. Damn that son of a bitch," the azure eyed teen cursed. He clutched at his hair in frustration and gave a defeated sigh. "Let me pack my stuff and I'll be..."

Ivan cut his friend off by stepping back into the house and grabbing something from behind the door. When he reappeared he was holding a large brown suitcase. The American watched as his long time friend stepped forward and handed him the suitcase.

"I'm sorry, Fredka," Ivan said sadly. The blonde teen's stomach twisted into a knot and a remorseful sigh escaped his lips.

"Yeah. Me too," Alfred said as he took the suitcase. "See you around,"

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><p>Arthur had watched the entire exchange with ever growing concern and his apprehension only intensified as the teen now approached him with a suitcase in hand.<p>

"What happened?" the Englishman asked worriedly as he straightened his leaning form and the younger man came to a stop in front of him.

"I apparently overstayed my welcome. Thanks again for all your help. See you later," the younger blonde said with a bitter smile tugging at his pink lips as he moved to walk past Arthur. The older man's hand instantly shot out and caught hold of the other man's wrist.

"Where are you going?" the Englishman asked with wide green eyes. The wheat blonde kept his gaze locked forward and a weary sigh escaped his mouth.

"There's a motel a mile from here. I was going to get a room for the night," the blue eyed man said tiredly.

"You just got released from hospital. You shouldn't be alone. What happens if your injuries worsen?" the sandy blonde asked as his grip on the other's wrist tightened slightly.

The younger man looked back at Arthur questioningly.

"What would you suggest I do? Stay with you?"

The smaller man was never more thankful that he was facing away from his companion. It helped to conceal the pinkish coloring of his cheeks.

"T-that would be o-one option," the Brit stammered out taken a bit by surprise by the bluntness of the youngers question. Silence fell between the two men for a long moment before the younger gave an odd chuckle.

"I just don't get you, dude. Why does this matter to you?" the tan blonde said tugging his wrist free of the other man's grasp.

Steely viridian eyes turned to lock with azure ones.

"I told you already, git, that I'm worried about you," Arthur stated crossing his arms over his chest.

A glint of disbelief flashed in the younger man's sapphire eyes, but was quickly replaced with a more guarded light. He was quiet for a few moments and seemed to be having an internal debate. The Englishman waited patiently and became contemplative himself.

Why was he pushing so hard to stay with this man? He didn't owe him anything, but there was something about the lad that wouldn't leave the Brit alone. There was just this overwhelming need to protect him from whatever horrors he had gone through. Damn his aggravating 'mother hen' nature.

"All right," the younger man said drawing Arthur's attention back to him. "I'll stay with you, but just for tonight. I'll figure everything else out tomorrow,"

The tiniest of smiles graced the straw blonde's lips and he made a small gesture toward his vehicle.

"Well then let's be off then, shall we?" Arthur said stepping around his companion to climb into the driver's seat.

"I'm Alfred, by the way. I just realized that we've not actually introduced ourselves," the teen said suddenly pulling the emerald eyed man up short. The Englishman's cheeks tinted a pale pink in embarrassment of his lack of manners.

"Um...Yes, terribly sorry about that. I'm Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. Pleasure to make your acquaintance," the sage green eyed man said clearing his throat and extending his hand. Alfred quickly accepted the pre-offered appendage and gave it a firm shake.

"Nice to meet you too, Arthur,"

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><p>Alfred gave an appreciative whistle as the little Mini-Cooper came to a stop in front of a modest white townhouse in the middle class part of the city.<p>

"This is a nice place you got here, Artie," the teen said not noticing how his companion cringed at the nickname as they both exited the vehicle.

"It's Arthur and thank you. Now come along. It's getting late and I have work I need to finish for tomorrow, " Arthur said moving quickly toward his green front door with the younger man hot on his heels.

"What is it that you do?" the cerulean eyed blonde asked curiously as he waited slightly behind the smaller male on the stoop of the townhouse.

"I am a teacher," the Englishman responded as he located the key to his door and inserted it in the lock. He quickly unlocked the door and pushed it in before entering. Alfred quickly followed behind his host and took in his surroundings.

The front door opened into the living room. The walls had been painted a gentle graham cracker color and the floors were a dark hardwood. The room was sparsely furnished with a single brown wingback armchair and matching loveseat. A dark red area rug lay beneath a cherry wood coffee table and a single end table near the armchair was its companion piece. Large black bookshelves filled to capacity flanked a small entertainment center that housed a moderately sized flat screen television.

At the back of the room was a doorway that most likely led to the kitchen and dining area. To the younger man's immediate left was a flight of stairs that led to the second floor.

"You can afford a place this nice on a teacher's salary?" Alfred said off-handedly as he admired his surroundings.

"Hardly," Arthur scoffed as he removed his brown loafers and set them by the front door. "Up until last week my brother was living here and helped with the expenses,"

"But he doesn't live here now I take it?" the younger man asked as he too removed his shoes.

"Yes, he recently took up with this horrid French woman and has moved into her flat," the veridian eyed man said as he mounted the stairs. A wave of his hand indicated that the teen should follow him. Like an obedient puppy the blonde followed behind the older man.

"Wow, Artie, tell me how you really feel about her," the American said with a jovial, honest chuckle.

'I bet he has a beautiful laugh,' the sandy blonde thought and then mentally slapped himself. Where had that thought come from? That was highly inappropriate.

"So, Alfred, what do you do?" the Englishman asked changing the subject to distract himself from his inner monologue as they reached the upper landing.

"Mostly, go to school, but I do the odd job here and there," the wheat blonde responded with a shrug of his shoulders. It did not escape the Brit's attention that the younger man had said 'job' with an unnatural amount of disdain. He let it go though as now was not the time to pry too much into his guest's personal life. They strode a few steps to the second door on their left.

"Here we are," Arthur said as he grasped the rooms doorknob and pushed open the door. He then strode into the room flipping on the light switch as he moved. "This was my brother's room, but now I've made it a guest room,"

Alfred entered the room and took in the space. Again the walls were graham cracker colored to offset the dark floor. The furniture was sparse consisting of a bed, nightstand, and dresser. All the pieces were a matching dark cherry wood.

Moving quickly the teen walked over to the bed and set his suitcase atop it.

"Thanks again for all that you've done dude," the blue eyed man said turning to face his host with a small smile. "I really appreciate it,"

"It's nothing really. Any decent person would have done the same," Arthur said as he felt his cheeks darken slightly and his gaze shifted to look at the floor. He missed the dark look that crossed the younger man's face when he said 'decent person'.

Feeling a bit awkward the older man turned and made his way out of the room.

"The bath is next door and my room is across the hall. If you need anything I'll be downstairs. Good night, Alfred," the Englishman said as he paused at the door to glance back at his companion.

"Night Artie," Alfred said with a gentle smile that did not reach his eyes before turning his attention to his suitcase.

The sad light in the younger man's too blue eyes was tugging at the blonde man's mind. What had the blonde been through to make him so guarded and sad? Arthur frowned as he made his way toward the staircase. Hopefully work would help him get his mind off the enigma that was Alfred.

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><p>"I am most assuredly not a morning person," Arthur mused aloud groggily as he took a sip of his tea and again looked over his lesson plan. It was the first day of school so that days lesson would mostly consist of going over the syllabus and introductions. Yet he couldn't concentrate on what he had written down to say. His mind was preoccupied with the image of a certain American.<p>

When he had risen that morning he had realized that Alfred would need someway to get in and out of the house if need be. So the Brit had quietly slipped into his companion's room and left the spare key with a note on his nightstand.

The Englishman's breath had hitched against his will when he had glimpsed the sleeping man. His blonde bangs fell freely over his closed eyes and his lips were slightly parted allowing soft snores to escape into the air. When he slept Alfred looked significantly younger than what Arthur thought him to be. He looked so innocent and cute it made the sandy blonde's heart ache.

The sudden piercing tone of the school bell pulled the teacher from his thoughts as students began streaming into his class. The viridian eyed man was never more thankful for the sudden distraction. His thoughts had been heading down a rather treacherous path.

Rising to his feet the English teacher turned to his whiteboard and grabbed a green marker.

"Arthur?" an all too familiar voice queried and the straw blonde dropped the writing tool he had in his hand. Whipping around surprised emerald eyes instantly locked with confused sapphire.

"Alfred? What are you doing here?" Arthur asked a bit shell shocked.

"Dude, I go to school here,"

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><p><strong>AN: Aw snap! So some plot progression and look Ivan not being a psycho ex-boyfriend. I actually really like when Ivan and Al are JUST FRIENDS. So yeah, we're getting to Artie figuring out more about Al and things are just going up from here. Until next time my most even more awesome than Prussia readers! Ciao!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I suck ridiculously bad at updating consistently. I apologize sweet readers. This chapter was terribly difficult to write since it tried to take on a mind of it's own. I beat it back into shape though. Enjoy!**

**I own only the plot!**

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><p>Arthur stared at Alfred with a completely dumbfounded look. He seemed to be completely taken aback by what the younger man had just told him. The Brit opened his mouth to question the American, but was cut off by the shrill tone of the school bell. Viridian eyes sent a glare up toward the loudspeaker box from which the sound emanated before refocusing on the ash blonde.<p>

"We will discuss this later," the sandy blonde said curtly before retrieving his green marker and once again focusing his attention on the whiteboard.

A deep sigh escaped the teen's lips as he turned and trudged to a seat at the back of the class. He plopped down in the chair furthest from the teacher and rested his head on his folded arms being careful to mind his black eye.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. His plan had been to go back to Arthur's after school, get his bag, and disappear. It had been a perfect plan, but 'No' the universe just had it out for him. The older man of course had to be his damn teacher and now he was going to start asking questions. Questions that Alfred was not ready or willing to answer. What was he to do now?

To make matters worse things had not gone well that morning in his hunt for a new temporary residence. Toris couldn't take him because his cross-dressing boyfriend hated Alfred. Kiku had moved away for college and well that was the teen's entire list of friends. Man that was sad. He was completely out of viable options. Oh, there were alternatives, but they were ones he would avoid at all costs. Damn he was going to have to break into his emergency savings account.

Another weary sigh found its way out of the blue eyed blonde's chest when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He hadn't looked at the little device since he had plugged it in the night prior after finding it dead in his suitcase.

Glancing up to make sure no one was watching him Alfred slid the mobile from his pocket and unlocked the screen. His eyes widened in surprise at what he found; fifteen missed calls, three voicemails, and forty-one texts. What had made his phone buzz was the newest text message. He tapped the little smiling message icon and the newest message popped up.

'**Maddie's sick with worry! Your dumbass had better be in the hospital or dead! Call me! Gil'**

A silent groan blew past the wheat blonde's lips as he sat up and his head fell back in defeat. Why? Why did the universe have to have it out for him? What had he done to deserve all his right now?

"Am I boring you Mister Jones?" a rather gruff British accent queried from across the room and instantly drew the young man's attention. He quickly plastered his Hollywood smile onto his face and cocked his head coyly.

"Sorry, teach. I got distracted by that sexy English accent of yours. I'll try and pay attention now," Alfred said cheekily and couldn't help finding the flustered blush of the older man attractive.

"Be sure that you do," the English teacher said curtly before returning to what he had been saying. The American slid his phone back into his pocket and decided to do as he was told. He would deal with all his problems after class. Besides there were worse things he could have to sit through that did not involve sexy blonde Brits.

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><p>As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of class Alfred had bolted like his life depended on it. He had decided that avoiding the situation with Arthur, even momentarily, was the best option at this point. Moving quickly the American teen managed to avoid being swallowed up by the growing crowd of high schoolers. He really hated crowds for the simple fact that it was damn near impossible to avoid being touched. He couldn't stand being touched if he didn't initiate the contact.<p>

With long determined strides the wheat blonde made his way to the little courtyard that connected the two multi-level buildings that formed Unity High. The little sanctuary had little to offer. A smallish fountain, two benches, and a sad, scraggly willow tree.

Feeling more relaxed being in the open the teen slowed his walk to an amble and made his way to the fountain. He took a seat on the hard concrete and pulled out his phone. With a flick of his thumb the screen unlocked pulling up his home screen. It was a picture of Alfred with his arm wrapped around a girl who looked almost identical to him. He smiled at the image before tapping the green phone icon.

The screen shifted to a list and the cerulean eyed man scrolled through the names listed. Maddie...Maddie...Gilbert...Maddie...Francis...Ivan...Maddie...Maddie...Maddie...Toris…

The blonde closed the window with an exasperated sigh. He moved on to the text messages and ignored the voicemails. He really didn't feel like listening to people scream at him. After reading through the first twenty-three messages he closed the window and groaned in aggravation. Seriously, was he not allowed to go off the grid for one freaking day?

Deciding that he could not avoid the inevitable Alfred tapped his contacts icon and dialed Gilbert. The German (Prussian according to the man himself) cop was the American's best friend. Which was ironic given his line of work. He also happened to be dating the teen's twin sister. The phone rang twice before an angry accented voice bombarded his eardrum.

"Where the fuck have you been you arseloch? I spent an hour yesterday trying to console your inconsolable sister. She stayed home sick today because of your inconsiderate ass,"

"Well hello to you too, Gil," Alfred said sarcastically rolling his eyes.

"Cut the bull Al. Why haven't you answered your phone for the last two days?" the angry man asked tersely. Alfred could picture his ruby eyes narrowed in irritation.

"Well the damn thing was dead..."

"Really, Alfred. That's your excuse?" the other man interjected his words laced with disbelief.

"...And I was in a damn hospital," the teen continued with an irritated lilt to his voice. The line became dead silent for a moment.

"Shit. Seriously? What happened? Maddie is going to lose her shit all over again," the older man muttered with a tired sigh.

"No, Maddie is not going to lose her shit, because you aren't going to tell her anything," the cerulean eyed male stated authoritatively his features becoming steely.

"Al, you can't keep everything from her forever…"

"Well I can damn well try, Gil. Everything I do is to keep her safe," Alfred barked frustratedly. He was really regretting making this phone call.

"You're not the only one who can protect her," Gilbert shot back his own ire rising.

"But as long as he's focused on me he won't go looking for her," the teen said coldly and a shudder rolled down his spine. The line again went silent before a weary sigh filled the air.

"I'm guessing he is the reason you were in the hospital?" the other man asked as all the fight went out of him.

"Yeah," the ash blonde responded simply as he too lost the will to argue.

"You okay?" the officer queried with concern in his voice.

"Yup,"

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nope," the younger man said popping the 'P'.

"You are such a pain in the ass," Gilbert huffed and Alfred could picture him rubbing at his temples.

"Takes one to know one," the azure eyed boy teased. "Look dude, I gotta get to my next class. Tell Mads I'm sorry and I love her,"

"I will. You be careful. Don't end up on the six o'clock news," the older man said with a small smile in his voice.

"No promises," he said and ended the call. He tucked his mobile back into his pocket and leaned his head back to look at the sky. The day was overcast and bleak much like his mood.

'One problem down,' he thought tiredly as at that moment the bell rang to signal the start of his next class. 'Only big ones left to go,'

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><p>Alfred slipped his key into the lock of the green door and let himself into the townhouse. Through the course of the day he had come up with a pseudo-plan for dealing with some of his problems. The long and short of it was that he would simply avoid them.<p>

Moving quickly he raced up the stairs to the guest room to retrieve his suitcase. After he left the Englishman's house he'd find a hotel for the night so he could work out the rest of Operation avoid Arthur.

He opened the room door and his heart nearly stopped in his chest. There sitting on the bed, hands folded in his lap patiently waiting, was the one man he didn't want to see at the moment.

"Hello, Alfred," Arthur said in a rather friendly tone while his steely green eyes pinned the younger man where he stood.

"H-hey, Artie. Didn't expect you home this early," the tan teen stammered nervously hand still wrapped around the doorknob in a death grip.

"Yes, well my last period is my planning period. Since it is the first day and my lesson plan is already set I thought I would come home to relax," the smaller man reached to his left and picked up a manila folder. "Maybe do a little light reading,"

The teen eyed the folder quizzically as the straw blonde flipped it open and his green eyes skimmed the contents.

"Alfred Franklin Jones. Seventeen year old senior. Transferred to Unity High a week before the start of the year," he stated as his brow dipped in irritation. "Care to start explaining?"

'Shit, how do I get out of this one?' the tan youth thought as his mind reeled for something and finally decided to go with snarky, defensiveness.

"I told you I went to school, dude," the tan male shrugged as he released the doorknob and crossed his arms over his chest casually.

"Yes you did, but I assumed you meant college," an exasperated sigh rang from the older man's chest as he rose to his feet setting aside the folder.

"Well you know what they say about assuming things," Alfred teased as he turned a smirk on the other man earning him a rather scathing glower.

"Don't be cheeky you pretentious child," the sandy blonde said with bite to his words.

"I'm not a kid! I haven't been a kid for some time now," the teen exclaimed his hackles rising as he glared daggers at the older man.

"Under the law you are," the smaller man countered with an unimpressed look of his own.

"Screw the law! It's never done anything for me before. Why does any of this matter to you anyway? I'll be out of your life for the most part when I clear out of here," the upset youth shot back a myriad of emotion mixing into every word as he advanced toward the bed to retrieve his bag.

"It matters because you were attacked you insufferable git," the Englishman said with an irritated sigh and pushed the bag out of the teen's reach. "We need to contact your parents and…"

"NO!" Alfred shouted effectively cutting off the other man and recoiled as if he had been slapped. Terror gripped his heart and he felt his body begin to quake.

"Alfred?" the straw blonde said softly his viridian eyes full of worry as he took note of the boy's shaking form. The wheat blonde couldn't deal with this right now. He didn't want to answer questions. He didn't want to think about what happened the other night. He didn't want to think about him.

"Please, Arthur, please don't contact him," the teen pleaded as his body visibly began to shudder more violently and his breath was coming in smaller bursts.

"Alfred," the green eyed man said with great concern and reached out to place a comforting hand on the tan teen's arm only to have him recoil like he had been burnt.

"I'm fine. Everything is fine. We don't need to contact anyone. I'm fine," Alfred said rapidly his blue eyes distant and unfocused.

'Just deny it, Al. It never happened. It's easier to ignore it and pretend everything is okay. Because if not...' His thoughts trailed off as his hands threaded into his hair and he gripped it viciously.

"No, lad. Everything is not fine. You were ra…"

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" the blonde male shouted screwing his azure eyes shut tightly as the tremors in his body visibly worsened and all fell into an eerie silence.

Hands suddenly cradled either side of the tan youth's face and he struggled to release himself from the unwanted touch to no avail.

"Alfred, look at me. Look at me!" the smaller man ordered his voice taking a gentle yet authoritative tone. Alfred ceased his struggling and slowly blue eyes slid open to focus on the man in front of him. The ash blonde was taken aback by what appeared to be genuine concern in those green depths.

Their gazes held for a moment longer before Alfred lowered his arms to wrap around himself and his gaze fell to the floor.

"Please just let this go for right now," the teen begged as a strangled sob escaped his lips and tears slid down his cheeks. "Please, Arthur,"

Without warning Arthur drew the sobbing boy into his arms and Alfred desperately tried to tug away.

"Calm down, lad. I'm not going to hurt you," the green eyed man said in a calm, soothing tone and rubbed comforting circles into the blonde's back. The tan youth continued to struggle for several more moments before giving in with a sigh. He had to admit that this kind of touching felt kind of nice. They stayed like that until Alfred had calmed himself and his tears had abated.

"You can let me go now," the American said softly with a sniffle as he gently pulled away. They stood in awkward silence for sometime both lost in their own thoughts.

"You should stay here," Arthur said suddenly making the younger man's eyes shoot up to stare at him.

"What?" the azure eyed boy asked quizzically.

"Well you don't seem to have anywhere to go," the older man said a bit anxiously and eyed the teen. "Well at least willingly. It's just logical for you to stay here where you are safe,"

Alfred didn't know how to take Arthur's words. A small part of him really wanted to believe that the sandy blonde truly was only concerned for him, but the much bigger mistrustful part of him quickly killed that hope. No one ever helped anyone else without expecting something in return. That fact had been proven to him so many times it had long ago stopped being funny. However, he really needed someplace to stay.

He looked into the Englishman's gorgeous emerald eyes and made his decision. Jeez he was such a freaking masochist.

"Thanks, Artie. That would be so awesome of you,"

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><p><strong>AN: Drama bomb! Arthur is just gonna be more persistent now Al since you had your lil break down. Things are starting to get interesting. Until next time!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hi guys! Back with another chapter. Hope everyone had a good holiday. Things are picking up this chapter. Please enjoy!**

**I do not own Hetalia or Pretty Woman. I'm just writing this little story.**

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><p>It had been a full three weeks since Arthur had found himself living with Alfred and things had been going well thus far. Things were splendid actually as the Brit had quickly realized he rather enjoyed having another person in his home. Sure Alfred could be a bit much at times, but the lad was growing on the stodgy Englishman. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.<p>

Oh, he realized that he was taking a big risk by letting the teen stay in his home. He knew that if people were to learn that a high school teacher was living with his underage student there would be dire consequences and scandal. Losing his job would be the least of his worries at that point.

Yet, there was just something in the sandy blonde that felt it was all worth it. After seeing the teen in that state of sheer terror all those nights ago Arthur found he was more determined than ever to unravel the mystery that was Alfred Jones.

Which is why he now found himself parked across the street from a rather low end motel with his sharp green eyes fixed on the American boy's back as he entered the motel lobby with a small black duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

When the blue eyed male had agreed to live with the older man he had insisted that he would not be a mooch and should pay some sort of rent. The straw blonde had assured his new housemate that that was not necessary, but the younger man was dead set on paying.

The Brit had agreed to take some paltry amount of money to appease the wheat blonde in the end. He knew that the monetary expectations of a high schooler with a part time job were ridiculously low. So one could imagine his shock and awe the next day when he was handed three times the amount they had agreed on.

Completely taken aback by the amount of money he held Arthur had asked where it had all come from. Alfred merely shrugged and stated he had some cash stashed away as well as having been paid that day. The pale man was suspicious of this rather casual statement and pressing further questioned where it was the boy was employed. Again, there was a shrug with a simple answer of the teen working nights at a motel downtown. This had explained where the boy had gone off to the few nights that Arthur had come home to an empty house, but not the odd amount of money he possessed.

The Englishman had let the matter drop at that point and added yet another thing to his kilometer long list of 'Alfred Jones Oddities'. As the days wore on though all these questions and odd behaviors were slowly starting to eat away at the viridian eyed man until he thought he would go completely mad. So for the sake of his own well being he had decided to follow the young man to his supposed place of employ.

As he sat watching the boy converse jovially with the desk clerk he couldn't help feeling rather foolish. He really should have more faith in the boy. Maybe he was just over reacting to the whole situation? Minimum wage had gone up quite a bit since his day.

With an exasperated sigh at his own actions Arthur reached out toward his ignition with the intent of going home, but paused when he saw Alfred leave the lobby. His prominent brow scrunched in confusion as he watched the tan teen walk casually to one of the room doors. He became even more confounded when the boy then unlocked the door and entered the room.

What in the world was going on here? Why would Alfred be going into one of the rooms? Was he a handy man? That sort of made sense, but then why didn't he carry any tools with him? The bag he carried was all wrong for any kind of repair work. It couldn't be holding a uniform. This place was too low end for that sort of thing and besides the lad could have just changed at home. So what was he doing?

The straw blonde watched the door intently expecting the American to exit at any moment, but when twenty minutes had passed with no sign of the teen he became anxious. The Brit was so fixated on the motel room he had failed to notice as a non-descript blue sedan pulled into the motel parking lot.

A middle-aged balding man climbed out of the vehicle and adjusted the collar of his trench coat in an attempt to hide his face. He was of average height but carried a few extra pounds around his middle. He quickly scanned the parking lot before walking over to the room door that Alfred had disappeared behind some time ago.

By this point Arthur couldn't help noticing the new arrival. He watched with intrigue as the man hesitated at the door before knocking. A few moments passed before the door slowly opened and the Englishman was not prepared for what appeared in the doorway.

The tan teen casually leaned on the doorframe wearing an open brown leather vest with black fur lining the neck and skin tight tan leather pants that were tucked into black boots. His tan skin glistened in the florescent lighting as he looked the older man over seductively before speaking. The balding man startled slightly before replying. The blue eyed boy turned on his megawatt smile and raising one hand made a 'come hither' signal by curling his first finger several times. The pair then disappeared into the motel room.

The straw blonde sat completely dumbstruck by what he had just seen. His mind had completely shut down and he stared off into space.

Suddenly, so many things started to make sense. The inappropriate behaviour, the sneaking around, and secrecy. As well as the large amounts of money. It all made sense now. Alfred was a prostitute. The boy sold his body for others pleasure, but why? Why did he do this? There were safer, not to mention legal, ways for him to have money. It couldn't be about sex. The American was exceptionally attractive and could have his pick of partners. Besides the boy was so adverse to anyone touching without his consent he'd risk his own safety to avoid it. So why would he put himself in a position where that is all that was done to him?

Yet, again, Arthur found he had more questions than answers and he had hit his breaking point. Without any forethought the viridian eyed man threw open the door of his car and climbed out. He slammed the door shut harshly and then aggressively stalked toward the motel. He was going to get some answers and he was going to get them now.

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><p>Alfred wanted to be sick. He could feel the bile burning the back of his throat, but he managed to swallow it back while keeping up his facade. He hated this. He hated the lying. He hated that this disgusting man was going to be touching him. Running his filthy hands all over his body like he owned him. No matter how long he did this it always bothered and upset him. He swallowed down more bile before smiling coquettishly at his client and led him over to the motel bed.<p>

"This yer first time?" the tan teen drawled in a southern accent he had perfected over the years.

"No," the man said curtly as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a thick bundle of cash. He tossed the money on the end of the bed before removing his coat.

"Aw, guess that means I ain't special," the American pouted cutely as he picked up the money quickly counting it before sliding it into his back pocket.

"Look can we skip all the little games and just get to it? I need to get home before my wife gets suspicious," the balding male said as he began to undo his belt.

Now the ash blonde was sure he was going to vomit.

'Sure thing you cheating piece of shit scumbag,' Alfred thought bitterly as he reached up to remove his vest.

"Whatever you want darlin. Yer the boss," the azure eyed male said sweetly and winked at the other man as he let the vest fall to the floor. He suppressed a shudder of revulsion as the other man's eyes roved over his bare chest.

"Damn right," the client said reaching out to grab hold of the younger man. Panic surged in the teen and he quickly moved back out of the other man's reach.

"Impatient aren't we?" the wheat blonde teased batting his eyelashes and smiled to seem coy rather than fearful. "At least let me get my pants off first,"

The balding man glowered, but sat on the end of the bed to watch as the tan male slowly began to remove what little was left of his attire. Alfred toed off each boot in turn as he slid his large hands teasingly along his hipbones to the button of his low rise leather pants. He undid the button and slowly pulled down the zipper exposing more of his taut, bare stomach. He had long ago found that his clients hated body hair.

Once his fly was open the younger male slid his thumbs back along his hips and hooked them into the waistband before pulling them downward in an excruciatingly sluggish manner. The supple leather easily peeled away from his skin since he had slicked himself up with baby oil before putting them on. He pulled the pants over each foot completely removing the garment before straightening his form.

He smiled sultrily at his client as he stood there in nothing but a black thong. The older man's eyes roved his body hungrily.

"Like what ya see?" the tan boy asked huskily striking a sexy pose.

"Very," the pudgy man said as he leaned back slightly onto the mattress. "Now why don't you come over here and put that pretty mouth of yours to good use,"

'Okay, I am seriously going to puke. This guy is so gross,' the wheat blonde thought as he teasingly sashayed toward the other man. Just as the teenager was about to get on his knees between his clients legs there was a rather aggressive knock at the room door. Alfred looked at the door curiously before sauntering towards it.

"You didn't invite a friend did you?" the azure eyed man teased as he grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open. "Because that costs doub…"

The words died on the boy's lips as he saw who was standing on the other side of the door.

"Evening, lad. Care if I come in?" Arthur asked casually as his impressive brow furrowed in a rather intense glower and he pushed past the younger man. Alfred stood dumbly rooted in place as his azure eyes trailed after the smaller man.

"The Hell is going on here? Who they Hell are you?" the overweight client questioned as he hurriedly rose to his feet and refastened his belt. The straw blonde stroud determinedly toward the balding man and grabbed a fist full of his shirt front.

"Listen you, wanker. You are going to get the Hell out of this room and never contact this young man again. Have I made myself clear?" the Brit growled in the most vicious, threatening tone he could manage and his emerald eyes burned with barely controlled rage.

"What are you his pimp? You pissed because he cut out the middle man?" the other man sneered as he broke the Englishman's hold on his shirt. As he straightened his shirt front he failed to notice the right hook the teacher aimed at his jaw. Arthur's knuckles collided with the man's jaw in a resounding smack and sent him sailing back onto the bed.

Again the lean blonde grabbed the man's shirt and jerked him up so they were nose to nose.

"Get. The. Fuck. Out," he fumed through clenched teeth before releasing the man and massaging his bruised knuckles. The pudgy man quickly scrambled off the bed. He took his money from Alfred's pants and grabbed his coat before making a hasty exit.

The silence that followed the bald man's departure was eerily heavy and thick with unspoken emotions. Neither man dared to look at the other and Alfred couldn't stand it.

"Arthur…"

"Get dressed. We're going home," Arthur stated in a way that left no room for argument. The ash blonde opened his mouth to protest, but snapped it shut again. With a defeated sigh he gathered his clothing and made his way into the small motel bathroom closing the door behind him.

He had left his duffel bag in the little room and quickly deposited his working clothes next to the bag. He quickly pulled out pair of loose jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers to dress in before stuffing everything else back into the bag. As he slung the tote over his shoulder to leave he happened to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Without his glasses his image was blurry, but in his mind's eye he could see the broken look in his eyes. He was so tired of all this, but what could he do? This was all he knew. It was all he was worth and now Arthur knew that too.

The cerulean eyed boy was taken a bit by surprise by that random thread of thought. When had he started caring what the grumpy English teacher thought of him anyway? He never cared what others thought of him. Yet, as he continued to think of how this whole situation was going to play out he couldn't help the funny ache that filled his chest.

Would Arthur be disgusted? Would he throw the American out on his ass? Would he be like the others and use the teen for his own enjoyment? Would he be like that disgusting man he had thrown out only moments earlier?

'Maybe he's different? Maybe I won't get hurt this time? Maybe this time there is a happy ending?' a tiny voice added to the inner monologue, but was quickly snuffed out. He hated that somewhere way down deep inside him he still foolishly clung to hope that one day he would escape all this.

"Life isn't like 'Pretty Woman'," he muttered aloud as he glared at his reflection. "Some millionaire isn't going to ride up in a limo, confess his undying love, and take me away. There are no happy endings for people like me. Grow the fuck up, Al,"

With that he grabbed hold of the bathroom knob and threw the door open aggressively.

'Might as well face the music,' he thought bitterly as he strode out to his fate.

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><p><strong>AN: OH! Snap! It has hit the fan now! ARTHUR KNOWS! Da da da... Well at least the prostitution part. Things are going to get intense next chapter. I will see you next time!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey darlins! Happy 2015! Okay, I'm going to go ahead and say I am really disappointed in this chapter. It wasn't the soul baring, love fest I wanted. Also I freakin give up. This damn thing has taken on a life of it's own. No matter what I do I just can't get things to go the way I want them to. So we're just going to roll with it. I hope you will stick with me to the end. Now on to the story.**

**I own nothing but this crazy plot.**

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><p>The car ride back to Arthur's townhouse was the most tense and awkward situation the teen had ever found himself in. The silence was so heavy it felt like he was being crushed. Apprehension filled his chest to bursting as he watched the world speed by through the passenger window of the Mini-Cooper.<p>

He hated this feeling of fear from the unknown. He hated not being in control. So much of his life had been out of his control until recently and now that he had a little bit of a say in his own life he didn't want to relinquish it.

Soon enough the little green car pulled up in front of the house and came to a stop. The engine had barely shut off before the older man climbed out of the vehicle and slammed the door harshly. Alfred had no time to react before the smaller blonde was at his door and yanked it open.

The tan boy wordlessly climbed out of the car at the Englishman's silent command. Again, the little car was a abused by having its door slammed. The pair made their way to and up the front steps before pausing to open the door. As they entered lights came on, bags were set aside, and shoes were removed.

The American couldn't bare the silence anymore. He knew Arthur was upset but this silent treatment was tortuous. Being screamed at, cursed at, even being hit were all things he understood and could handle. Silence. Silence was new to him and it absolutely terrified him.

"Arthur…" the wheat blonde started but was cut off by the teacher raising his hand in a halting motion.

"How long?" Arthur asked simply as his eyes locked onto the younger man's own and effectively pinning him in place.

"How long?" the teen parroted as his brow creased in confusion.

"How long have you been selling your body?" the straw blonde pressed with an exasperated eye roll. The American boy had been expecting that question, but that did not mean he was ready or willing to answer it. He didn't want the Brit to see just how disgusting and worthless he truly was. So he merely stood there in silence with his eyes cast downward.

The seconds ticked by and it quickly became apparent to the green eyed man that he would not be getting the answers he was seeking. He was beyond livid at this point, but he was not really in the mood for a fight.

"Go to your room, Alfred," Arthur said tiredly and started to walk toward the kitchen. After some tea and maybe a good nights sleep they could try again with clearer heads.

Meanwhile, Alfred felt like he had been slapped in the face. Did the older man seriously just tell him to go to his room? As if he were some errant ten year old? Anger welled up in his chest. He was not a damn child.

"The Hell I'm 'going to my room'," he stated sarcastically as he made air quotes with his fingers. "I'm not a child and you can't tell me what to do,"

The sandy blonde paused in his trek and turned slowly to face the younger man.

"When you stop acting like a child then I will stop treating you like one. Until then while you are living in my home you will do as I ask," he said cooley before turning toward his previous destination.

"Then I'll leave," Alfred countered and to give emphasis to his words turned to mount the stairs taking them two at a time. Arthur's eyes widened anxiously and he quickly followed behind the younger male.

"And where would you go? To one of those...perverts? No, I won't allow it," the Englishman stated forcefully as he followed the blue eyed boy up the staircase.

As he reached the second floor landing the wheat blonde looked back at the other blonde in confusion. What was with this guy? Who the Hell did he think he was telling him what he could and could not do? He didn't freaking own him.

On that thought a light clicked on in the boy's head and things suddenly made sense. He should have known no good deed was ever done without the expectation of some kind of payment. That was why the Brit hadn't wanted his money. No, he'd had his eyes set on another means of payment. The tan youth could have laughed at his own stupidity. That was all anyone ever wanted out of him.

Turning to face the other man, who had now joined him on the landing, Alfred put on his best sheepish look and cast his eyes downward submissively while his arms loosely wrapped around his chest to complete the look.

"I'm sorry, Artie," the azure eyed teen said softly as he watched the Englishman through his eyelashes once they both were facing each other on the landing. "You've been so kind to me and I've been so ungrateful,"

The sudden shift in the American's entire demeanor gave Arthur reason to pause as he eyed the younger questioningly.

"It's quite all right, lad," the sandy blonde said cautiously as the boy's arms fell to his sides and he took a step forward.

"But you deserve some form of thanks for everything you've done for me," the ash blonde said silkily as he came to a stop just in front of the teacher and sank down on to his knees.

Viridian eyes widened in surprise as Alfred now knelt before him and placed his tan hands on Arthur's slender hips.

"What the bloody Hell do you think you're doing, Alfred?" the Brit asked dumbly as those hands slid forward to clasp the buckle of his belt.

"Showing you my appreciation," Alfred cooed as he looked up at the other male with a flutter of his long eyelashes and coquettish smile.

The gears in Arthur's head slowly clicked into place and realization hit him like a prize-fighter's punch.

"Alfred, stop," the peridot eyed man said placing his hand's on the boys shoulders and tried to push him away gently.

"But isn't this what you wanted, Artie?" the cobalt eyed boy asked his voice a mix of confusion and teasing as he paused in his manipulation of the other's belt.

"No! Now get off me you twat," the Englishman said a bit harshly and pushed the kneeling man with more force.

Unfortunately, Arthur, in his haste to remove the other from his person, put too much strength behind his movements and sent the teenager sailing backwards. The yelp that emitted from Alfred was more out of surprise than pain as his back met with the hardwood floor.

Propping himself up on his elbows the now prone boy glared up at his assailant.

"What the Hell man?!"

"Alfred, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be that forceful," Arthur apologized as he stood frozen in place upset with himself for possibly harming the boy.

"Geez, I was just giving you what you wanted. You didn't have to freak out," the wheat blonde grumbled as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"What I...You think I want you to...Why in the world would you think I want that from you?" the straw blonde queried completely baffled by the younger male.

Cerulean eyes softened from angry to confused as they remained focused on the older man before they shifted downward.

"That's all anyone ever wants from me," Alfred said in a rather soft, dejected voice as all the fight went out of him and he drew his knees up to his chest while his arms wound around his legs.

"I don't want that from you," Arthur said gently as he sank to one knee to be more eye level the the teen.

"But why? I just don't get you?" the American boy questioned as he carded his right hand into his hair and gripped it harshly.

The Englishman felt his heart clench painfully. It absolutely broke his heart to see this boy so lost and broken. He unconsciously reached out to place a comforting hand on the younger man's knee. Unfortunately, his well meaning gesture had the opposite effect and sent the tan boy scrambling backward with panic in his too blue eyes. The teacher sighed heavily and retracted his hand.

"Alfred as much as I shouldn't I have come to care about you…"

"Why?" the ash blonde interjected as he again curled in on himself protectively. "Why do you care about some worthless teen prostitute you barely know?"

The amount of self loathing and disgust that Alfred put into this statement had the straw blonde seeing red. Rage at who or whatever had made this boy see himself in such a harsh, unforgiving way seethed under his skin. He swore that if he ever managed to unravel the mystery of Alfred Jones he would make the villains of his past pay for their crimes.

"Alfred," Arthur said as he cautiously moved toward the other man. "You are not worthless. You are far from it and you are definitely more than what someone is willing to pay for you…"

Alfred shot to his feet so quickly it made the other man reel back in surprise. He didn't want to listen to the Brit's pretty, false words. He didn't want to feed that part of himself that clung so desperately to hope. He knew the ugly truth.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Artie," the teen heard himself say, but the words sounded so hollow and empty. As if they had come from some automaton and not a living, breathing person.

Moving quickly to not allow Arthur time to protest the American moved down the hall into his room. He closed the door firmly behind him and clicked the lock into place. He drew a deep, calming breath into his lungs and leaned tiredly back against the cool wood of the door.

He just couldn't understand. What the Hell did he want from him? Why did Arthur say those things?

'_Because he cares,'_ the little voice of hope chirped merrily making the teen cringe.

There was no way that could be true. No one could actually care for someone as disgusting and broken as him. The only person who truly cared about Alfred was Madeline and she didn't know about his 'job'.

No, the Englishman must have said those things as part of whatever twisted mind game he was playing with the blue eyed boy.

'_But what if he REALLY does care?'_ the little voice again chimed in.

"Shut up, you," Alfred growled irritably as he pushed off of the door and began to strip off all of his clothing and deposited it into the nearly full wicker hamper near the door. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to get in bed and slip into the sweet oblivion of sleep to escape the reality of his life.

Snatching his favorite American flag pajama pants up from the floor, where he had left them that morning, he pulled the comfortable material onto his naked frame before climbing into bed. Snuggling into the plush pillows and warm comforter he closed his eyes as he waited for sleep to whisk him away.

* * *

><p>'<em>Bad boyz...Bad boyz watcha gonna do...Watcha gonna do when they come for you...Bad boyz...Bad boyz…"<em>

A deep, irritated groan emitted from Alfred as he was rudely drug from sleeps gracious arms by the 'Cops' theme song sounding from his phone.

"I'm going to strangle him," the wheat blonde growled into his pillow as he blindly pawed for the offending device on his nightstand. Feeling the the familiar rectangular shape of his smartphone the boy lifted the device and swiped his thumb to the right on his touch screen before bringing the device to his ear.

"This had better be damn important, Gil," the tan teen grumbled sleepily into the phone after pulling his face out of his pillow.

"Alfred is that anyway to answer the phone? Oh, and I love how you pick up if it's Gil. Maple forbid you ever pick up when I call," a very feminine, non-German accented voice trilled crossly in his ear making the blue eyed male cringe sheepishly.

"H-hey, Mads," Alfred stammered now fully awake as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Don't you 'Hey, Mads' me you hoser. I haven't seen or heard from you in weeks except for the occasional text. What you can't give me a simple call?" the lemon blonde scolded testily. Alfred could just see her standing there violet eyes narrowed angrily and hip cocked out with a fist planted firmly on it. Maddie was the most quiet, demure girl one would ever meet, but when pissed off she became a raging Kodiak bear.

"I'm sorry, Maddie. Between school and work I have been hella freakin busy," the cerulean eyed male half lied and a pang of guilt squeezed his heart.

"Don't lie to me, Alfie. Gil already told me," Maddie snapped making her brother jump.

"He told you what?" Alfred queried as a mix of dread and anger twisted in his stomach.

'I swear if that asshole told her anything I'm going to kill him,' the ash blonde thought as he anxiously waited for his sister's response.

"How you are living with your new boyfriend," the wavy haired blonde said her voice laced with excitement and irritation.

'All right I'm definitely going to kill him,' the American teen thought as an aggravated, slightly angry sigh escaped his lips.

"I really didn't want him to tell you about that,"

"And why not?" the amethyst eyed girl asked indignantly.

"Well we haven't been together that long and the move was kind of sudden. I just didn't want you to worry and fuss over this in case things went all pear shaped," the lie rolled so easily from his lips it made him sick.

"Alfie, I'm your sister. Your twin sister. It's my job to worry and fuss when you do something crazy," Madeline said with an irritated sigh and Alfred couldn't help chuckling as he imagined her 'mom face'.

"All right, Maddie. Sorry for being an idiot," the azure eyed male said with a small fond smile.

"You are forgiven. So I'll see you and your new beau tonight at six," the lemon blonde said cheerily.

"Yeah. Wait? What?" Alfred sputtered completely taken off guard.

"You're coming over for dinner and don't you dare try to duck out on me. If you do I'll have Gerhard use his fancy police computer to track your sorry ass down and then I'll show you the business end of my hockey stick. Okay? I love you. See you tonight," with that the line went dead and the teen was left staring at his phone completely dumbfounded.

"What the freaking Hell just happened?" he muttered as he rose from his bed while thinking about how he was going to explain this all to Arthur.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay I know Alfred seems crazy bipolar, but there is a reason behind that which we will get to (hopefully) next chapter. I also know Arthur keeps backing down, but he just doesn't want to make things worse. Don't worry. He doesn't put up with that too much longer (hopefully). Plus, hey we get to meet Maddie and some more Gil! It's always fun to have your "boyfriend" meet your family. All right, see you next chapter.<strong>


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